Choices
by Miss Junie
Summary: There are always choices to be made in life, some major, some minor. There are 10 major choices in Artie Abram's life that have to be made, and looking back, were they the right ones?
1. Swimming

Author's note: Well hey guys! This is my first Glee fanfiction, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts! I'm thinking this will be a ten chapter story, there's going to be some pretty interesting stuff coming, and I would welcome opinions! Finally started my winter break, so on with the writing!

PLEASE READ! Thank you to the AMAZING people who read this and reviewed! I would also like to extend a HUGE apology to some readers. I haven't watched the beginning episodes of Glee, and from the fictions I read on this site, assumed that Artie was into baseball. That was apparently incorrect, so I would like to extend a huge apology to those of you who read this and believed I was plagiarizing, I was not, merely uninformed, which I know is not an excuse, but I'm EXTREMELY sorry. For that fact, I am thus changing this chapter! However, Artie is obviously still awesome, and we are going to change his sport to swimming, deal?

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**Choices**

Life is a funny thing. It's full of choices that contain twisting roads, and relationships. Each choice a person makes affects the rest of their life. They can be made consciously, or unconsciously. They can affect the rest of your life, or at just that moment. When a choice is often made, it is not pondered on the affect this will have in the future, but that this is the choice being made now.

Artie Abrams had made many choices in his life, like many of us. Each decision, whether major or minor had taken him on a certain route through his life. He often pondered on what would have happened if he had chosen to do something differently. His first major choice began when he was 8.

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_9 years ago:_

It was sunny day in Lima, Ohio. He was one of the best swimmers in the whole of the state, and it was a standing joke with his parents about becoming the next Ian Thorpe. Swimming was his passion, and it was something his family could do together. His Dad and brother, Phil, would have races with him in the backyard in his pool. They would have game after game of Octopus and Marco Polo. And every meet he raced in, his whole family would come out to watch. When his extended family was visiting, they would come to watch him swim too. There was just something that made him feel alive in the water, that wasn't possible on land. That all changed though with the choice he made that morning.

He was only 8 years old, but like most 8 year olds of his age, felt pretty mature. Mature enough to ride in the front seat. It was a big honour for him, since his brother often got to ride in the front seat, and since it was only a short drive to the swimming stadium, his Mum would sometimes let him sit there.

On this particular day, he had begged and pleaded with his Mum to let him ride in the front seat. Today was the last day of the swimming season before summer started, and he pleaded and cajoled with his Mum, until she laughingly acquiesced. He looked around happily, the front seat had a much better view than the back. They had just passed his favourite gas station where he always used to get slushies after he won a race, and even if he didn't. They were just going across the intersection, and Artie heard his Mum scream. He whipped his head around to look at her, and everything went black.

He would always look back on this day and ponder what would have happened if he hadn't sat in the front seat. His Mum had come away relatively unscathed, but he had ended up paralyzed from the waist down, and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He never complained about it, because what was the point? It was something that he had to adapt too, because complaining wasn't going to change anything. It was better to accept his situation and deal with it, rather than complain about something he couldn't change.

He also couldn't bear to see the look on his Mum's face when he got upset about being paralyzed. He tried so hard to be optimistic, but there were just some days that he couldn't help feeling somewhat hurt. He couldn't do what other 'normal' kids could do. Most of his previous friends couldn't handle the guilt they had when they saw him, and his swimming friends felt awkward as they couldn't help but talk about swimming together.

His legs were useless, and although arm strength counted for a lot in swimming, he couldn't rely solely on his arms. His streamlined position was gone, and with that his competitive time. He still loved swimming, and was told it would be good therapy, but he wouldn't be able to race competitively again.

* * *

Knowing that his life would never be the same again left a bitter taste in Artie's mouth at first. He would never have the same experiences as other people, and everything would just be somehow different for him. This didn't mean it was necessarily bad, just different.

His next major choice came on the first day of high school at lunch, when a black- with-blue-streaks-haired girl approached him.

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So, thoughts? A little short, next one will be longer I promise! Next update will hopefully be in the next two days! Again, HUGE apology to readers I may have offended with story ideas! Reviews are LOVED!


	2. Meeting

**Authors note**: I'd like to begin with an apology for the last chapter. I have read pretty much every Artie/Tina fiction on this site (yes, I DO love this couple!), and from what I kept reading, assumed was correct. It turns out I was wrong, and have since apologized to those people, and obviously am making reference to that fact. This is the last time I will bring it up, I hope I have not offended people by my mistake, and lets move on. Deal? Awesome!

**Disclaimer:** As you have probably realized, I am NOT in fact the creator of Glee, merely a fan of it !

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The second choice that majorly impacted Artie Abrams life wasn't really something that he was conscious of at the time. Years later when he looked back on this day though, he would wonder how differently his life would have turned out if he had taken a different path.

* * *

It was lunchtime at McKinley High and that always meant one thing for certain: pandemonium. Everyone shared the same lunch period, and having that many people all buying food at once during the limited time they had was crazy. Artie often wondered why a) this many people bought food here, it really wasn't that great, and b) why couldn't they just split the lunch periods?

Lunchtime was always somewhat of a hassle for him, because the lunchladies never looked at who they were serving. They asked what you wanted, they gave it, their eyes down the entire time. Most often times, they would not recognize that Artie was in a wheelchair, and just push his tray far enough to get it balanced, and as such, most of the time he couldn't reach it.

"Excuse me-" he started.

"H-here," stuttered a feminine voice from behind him.

Artie turned around and looked. There was what looked like a punk-goth-rocker behind him. She had on black, ripped pants, and a Beatles t-shirt. Her hair was what fascinated him though. It was long, black, and had blue streaks in. On most people, it wouldn't work, but somehow she made it work. And she was holding out his tray to him, with a puzzled look in her eyes. Artie smacked himself internally, she was holding out his tray to _him_, waiting for him to take it.

"Thanks," Artie smiled up at her.

She nodded and then moved over to the cashiers. Artie frowned after her. He didn't recognize her, and Lima was a small town, meaning everyone pretty much knew everyone else. He guessed that he'd never seen her before, because she was knew to the town. _Well, at least she's nice, she'll make friends pretty fast_, he thought. Pity he had to take so long to respond to her though.

Artie wheeled himself over to the cashier, and by this time of course, she had already gone. He paid for his meal, and made small chit-chat with the cashier as he usually did. Most days he ate his lunch in the music room. He was friends with the band, standing in for them occasionally as an extra guitar. He wheeled himself over to the door, hitting the button and wheeled himself into the hallway. Right on to someone's backpack.

"Well, well, well, look who it is guys," drawled the voice of Sam Jones, stand-in quarterback on the football team, and school bully.

Artie groaned internally, of _all_ the people to run into.

"Sorry Sam, I didn't see it there." Artie prepared to wheel himself away.

"And _now_ where do you think you're going?"

_Damn_, thought Artie, "Sorry Sam, urgent meeting with..." Artie's brain blanked.

"Yep, urgent meeting with me. About what you're going to do to make up for running over my backpack."

At this point the door from the cafeteria opened again, and the black-and-blue-streaked hair girl walked out. And accidentally stood on Sam's backpack.

"Oops, I'm sorry," she made to walk away.

"What is it with people standing on my stuff today?" Sam's voice got louder and louder towards the end of his sentence.

"Sam, we're sorry, lets just leave it okay?" said Artie quietly.

_Sploosh!_ A frozen wave hit Artie, and it tasted of blue raspberry, dripping down his face. Of course they would have slushies. Artie rubbed his hands across his face, and opened his eyes.

"Haha, see you later, LOSERS," Sam and his jock friends grabbed their stuff of the floor and walked down the floor, high-fiving each other.

Artie sighed and looked over at the girl standing next to him. She was covered in a strawberry slushie, and looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Sorry about that," Artie said awkwardly. "I've got something in my locker that'll get rid of the stickiness if you want?" his voice trailed off. She had burst out laughing, _definitely_ not what he had expected.

"A-are people always t-that f-friendly around here?" she giggled.

Artie laughed, "Not always, we're just extra special."

By this time the slushie had made it all the way down Artie's shirt and was beginning to seep through his pants. Through the looks of it, hers was too.

"I t-think I w-will take y-you up on that i-if that's o-ok?" she smiled shyly at him.

"No problem, I'm Artie by the way." he stuck his hand out to her.

"T-tina." she shook his hand.

They made their way down the hallway to Artie's locker, getting to know each other.

Artie would look back on this day and wonder what would have happened if Sam hadn't thrown those slushies. Would he have got to know Tina? Every time he thought about this, he shuddered at the possibility of not knowing her. Since that day, the two of them became fast friends and near-inseparable. She was the first true friend he had, never seeing his chair as him, but seeing his chair as part of him. It didn't define him, but was a part of him.

Every time he was thrown a slushie at, he would wipe it out of his eyes, go get changed, and smile, because it wasn't something that bothered him anymore. Him and Tina just understood that they were different from other people, and that didn't make them better. Just different. And definitely mature enough to deal with a slushie in the face from people who couldn't. The jocks would also get really confused when they hit both him and Tina with a slushie, and it wouldn't upset them in the slightest, and with that, they just eventually stopped doing it.

He often wondered though what he would have done without Tina in his life. She was his ray of sunshine, and the person who could always make him smile. They were best friends, and soon knew everything there was to know about each other. She was his other half, his better half.

He had to remind himself to thank Sam the next chance he got.

* * *

His next choice came the first day of Year 10 after Spanish class.

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So, what did we think? Worth keeping going on with this? And I'm also thinking of including some Tina POV's in this, objections? Please leave your comments, I always love to know what you guys think! ~Swimnsail


	3. Joining?

**Author's note:** Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed! I think that FF's alerts are back up to date, so fingers crossed! Thank you to all of those who manually searched for this so you could read it, I really appreciate you all! This has a few spoilers for later chapters, but you'd probably figure them out anyways, so happy searching! As always, I love hearing your thoughts :)!

**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish it could be mine, Glee unfortunately belongs to someone else.

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The third major choice of Artie's life came after his Spanish class. He wasn't too sure why he took Spanish in the first place, it wasn't going to be useful in his future career, but he guessed it would be useful to be able to converse with some people. It didn't hurt as well that it was the class he knew that he and Tina would share. She wanted to be a teacher, and he wanted to be in architecture, so they didn't have too many classes that overlapped. For that reason, he'd take as many classes as he could that he would share with Tina.

"Hey guys, just before you go," Mr. Schuester sighed, and Tina and Artie looked at each other in shock that he wasn't speaking in Spanish like he usually did. "I know a few of you have heard I've taken over Glee club, and I'm looking for new members. At the moment, we have about 2 people, and I'm definitely looking for more. If you guys are at _all_ interested, I really want you to try out. I'll leave the sign-up sheet outside the door."

Rachel Berry shot her hand up, "Excuse me Mr. Schuester, what kind of club would this be? Would it be the same egotistical music group that was previously under the direction of the now-fired music teacher?"

"Um, yes Rachel, but we're not discussing his firing. No, its not going to be the same 'egotistical' club, we're going to have open auditions for everyone, and the opportunity to have equal input and singing opportunity into the club. I encourage you all to sign up, because the school used to have the most famous Glee club in the state, and I want to restore that, and I think I can with the help of you guys." He nodded at them all.

The class was dismissed right after that, and Artie looked at Tina.

"W-w-wait, what are you looking at me for A-a-artie?" she scowled at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"Well, I'm thinking you can sing like nobody's business, and I can play the guitar pretty well. Now that band is over, why not? We still have some free time, and we can do something we love!" he said looking earnestly at Tina.

He didn't have to tell her the main reason he wanted her to join was to finally get some recognition for her talent. He knew she was an _incredible_ singer, but she was very shy, and consequently not many people got to hear her. She had only started singing when he was practicing his guitar while she did homework over at his house on some nights, and even then she wasn't doing it consciously. The first time it had happened, he had been playing, "Tale As Old As Time," from 'Beauty and the Beast.' It wasn't his favorite song, but one he needed to practice for their band concert. She had joined in without realizing, and it was then he finally heard her voice for the first time, and wow, could she sing.

They had had impromptu singing sessions since, but she never wanted to sing in front of anyone, too afraid of what they might think. Artie being Artie, had been trying to get her too, because once she realized that other people thought she had an incredible voice, maybe she might start to believe it too.

"B-b-but Artie, I can't sing, well, no, I can sing, but not _well, _and definitely not well enough for a club." she protested.

"Tina, you can sing as well as anyone I know, and whats there to lose? You don't want to see me do it by myself do you?" he looked at her with his puppy-dog eyes, pleading with her, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist this look.

Just as he had predicted, she tried to look anywhere but at his face, knowing that if she saw his expression, she would be suckered in. "A-a-artie, we sing at your house, because there's no one there, and you don't care if I can sing well or not," she made the mistake of looking up at this point, "No! Don't look at me like that!"

Artie ramped up the pleading, 'You're going to make me do this by myself?" looking at her with those big blue eyes.

"F-f-fine Artie, but you _so_ owe me."

"Cookie tomorrow?"

"Today, and eternal gratitude," she poked him in the side, giggling.

He held out his hand, "You've got yourself a deal."

They went outside the classroom, and Artie handed Tina a pen to put their names on the list. Tina was still hesitating, knowing that once she signed up for this, Artie wouldn't let her back out, and that everyone would know she'd put her name down anyway.

"Come on, big breath, aaaaaand, write!" Artie encouraged beside her.

Tina turned and scowled at him. "Thinking Artie, thinking!"

He poked her in the side, "Less thinking, we've already agreed, aaaand go!"

Tina shook her head laughing, and penned first Artie's name, and then her own.

* * *

This was one of the defining moments in Artie's high school career. The Glee club that started off consisted of him, Tina, Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, and Kurt. Their group slowly grew, and they became a tight-knit group. There was a lot of drama in the group, granted, with Rachel storming off continuously, Finn joining and quitting the group repeatedly, Babygate, Sectionals and a whole bunch of other things.

But, Artie wouldn't have had it any other way. Finally, someone else got to hear Tina's amazing voice, and was given solos so others could hear her. Artie was given solos as well, which was somewhat of a surprise, since he knew he could sing, but he definitely didn't think he was a great singer. Rachel finally committed to the group and toned down the drama to everyone's relief, and Finn fully committed to the group. Babygate was a tough time for everyone, but they finally managed to resolve it. Sectionals was also tough, with the other groups taking their songs, but they still won, on a song they had learned only an hour before.

Artie wasn't thankful though just for these reasons, he was thankful because Glee wasn't just about singing. It was a place to fit in, and there was nothing like it in the rest of the school. The people that joined meshed together, and they didn't just become a group, but a family. When Quinn became pregnant and was thrown out of the Cheerios, the Glee group didn't say anything about it, but simply accepted her. Brittany wasn't the brightest student, but regardless of her knowledge, they group accepted her for being herself. Glee wasn't about being something you were not, but being yourself, and being appreciated for that.

Artie knew that without his Glee family, he would have a fewer friends he could call true friends, and he wouldn't have got through some of the sticky situations he had been through without them. When he was in hospital for a couple of days, Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt all came over to help Tina out, so she wouldn't feel as lonely, and they were all supportive of each other. When Tina's car broke down on the Highway and he couldn't drive to her, he called Quinn, who drove him out to her, and they brought Tina home. The group stayed in contact for the rest of their lives, and throughout it all, knew they had true friends to depend on whatever their problem.

Artie knew that the decision to join Glee was one of the best he had made in his life. Sure, it had come with its share of heartache, but it was definitely worth it.

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A/n: Gosh Glee is amazing! How'd we like it? I'll try and have another chapter before the 25th, but we'll have to see how much shopping I have left to do...eeeek! Haha. Reviews = love, love Swimnsail


	4. First Date

**Author's note:** Thanks so much for all the alerts and reviews, you guys inspire me to keep writing! I love to hear your opinions as well, so please let me know how you guys liked it ! Happy holidays!

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Glee does NOT belong to me, however much I wish otherwise!

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Artie looked back on his next decision, and although it took him a heck of a long time to finally get up the courage to do so, he knew that it would have happened sooner or later, it was really the timing that was up to him. Artie figured that the universe had some sort of set plan, and if you missed one opportunity, they would give it you at some other point. Or, at least that's what he hoped happened. We've all got our ideas about the universe and why we're here, and it wasn't that he really believed in predestination so much, as some things that were definitely supposed to happen.

Asking Tina Cohen-Chang on a date with him was one of those things he supposed. They had been best friends since the beginning of High School, and by best friends, they knew everything there was to know about each other. He knew that she didn't really like having breakfast, and if she did actually have it, she would only have an orange. She knew that he didn't like slushies thrown at him, but if it had to be done, he liked blue raspberry the best. He often wore dark colours, so it wasn't too recognizable, and he liked the taste. Artie knew that Tina – although she would protest loudly if he said it – secretly cried every-time she watched the Grinch, and his heart grew bigger. Likewise she knew that it killed Artie every-time his Mother blamed herself for the accident, although she wasn't really sure what his Mother had to do with it.

Artie knew that sooner or later, he would ask Tina out on a date, it was just the timing of said event. They were such amazing friends, he didn't want to spoil that, but at the same time, he got the feeling that Tina wanted to be something more with him too. It wasn't so much that he was nervous about rejection, he was nervous that he would spoil their friendship. But he also knew that they couldn't really just be friends anymore, because he loved her, and he was pretty sure that she felt something similar to him too.

* * *

Artie woke up on November 20th, and for some reason, today felt like the day. It felt like a good day, and the day to finally ask Tina on a date with him. He showered and dressed extra quickly that morning, wanting to meet Tina as early possible at their corner before going to school. He grabbed a slice of toast on his way out, with a quick "Bye" to his parents and little sister, Mel.

He wheeled to the corner of the street, where his and Tina's intersected, and waited for her to arrive. He waited about 5 minutes, and then saw a black and blue blur flying out of her house, and rush over to him.

"H-h-hey Artie, sorry about being late, I kept hitting the snooze button and then realized what t-t-time it was!" came the rushed response.

Artie laughed, if it was up to her, she would hit the snooze button until lunchtime. "No problem Tee. Sooner or later your parents are going to buy you one of those alarms which won't shut off until you solve a puzzle."

Tina laughed. Her and Artie had been looking through a technology magazine, and they had seen these alarms which would beep loudly until either a puzzle was solved, or something was caught after it flew off the alarm and put back on the base. They had joked that that would be what Tina's parents would get her for the next holiday, or it would be Artie's Christmas present to her.

"Don't even joke about that, I think my parents are seriously considering it!" she warned him jokingly.

They both set off on the route to school, and Tina started to tell him about what had happened at Glee yesterday. Artie had to miss it because of an appointment with his optometrist. His vision wasn't the best, and they were looking into getting new glasses for him, and that was the only time he could get an appointment before Christmas. She finished telling him what had gone on, and paused for breath.

"So how was the optometrists?" she looked down at him, and Artie was suddenly struck by how she looked with the sun shining behind her. She looked beautiful, she was smiling at him, and the sun was catching the tints in her hair. Of course, she always looked beautiful, not that he could really tell her that at this point in time.

"Um, it was good," he explained what had gone on, and noticing they were reaching the school entrance, stopped. "Tee, I was wondering, what are you doing on Friday?"

Tina stopped, _finally_, this might be the time that Artie was going to ask her out. He was her best friend, and lately, the love for him that had grown as her best friend was proceeding into a different kind of love. The love that you have for the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

"Not too much - " _sploosh_.

"Hahaha, did you guys see that?" Stefan – head jock of the football team – high-fived his buddies and laughed after his excellent aim of throwing a slushie all over Artie and Tina. The first bell rang and laughing, the jocks headed off to class.

Artie and Tina looked at each other and laughed. They were covered head-to-foot in blue slush.

"Well, at least if we get slushied, its my favourite flavour!" Artie joked.

"It's good to know that whatever happens, there's always going to be the people who don't like you," Tina giggled looking at Artie wiping blue slush of his glasses. "Come on, lets go get cleaned up."

The previous statement was forgotten for awhile, and they got cleaned off, and headed to first period 30 minutes late.

Later that day, they had Glee practice, but it was definitely interesting, since they were all in wheelchairs. They were on their way to Sectionals and they had decided to do a wheelchair number for Artie, and they were trying to practice their manoeuvres. The group was in hysterics, constantly bumping into each other accidentally, and Brittany accidentally fell out of wheelchair when she hit Santana. Mr. Schue was also in fits of hysterics, wondering how on earth this number was going to come together.

"Okay guys, _great_ job today, " he wheezed, still hoarse from laughing so much, "You guys are free to go, and I'll see you tomorrow!"

Artie and Tina hung back, waiting for everyone to go, trying to avoid a pile-up. Tina decided that now was the time to tell Artie how much she admired him for what he did. She didn't like to bring up his paraplegia often, because it was a sensitive subject, and not something that was really important. Sure he was a paraplegic and had to do some things differently, but that in no way defined him, and she didn't see him as differently because of it.

Tina wheeled over to him, "I really admire you Artie," she laughed quietly, "I had no idea how hard this was."

"Well, its just like you with your stutter, you don't even notice it after awhile" he said earnestly.

"H-how did it happen? You don't talk about it much." she said softly.

"I got in a really bad car accident when I was 8, my Mum was fine, but I've been in the chair ever since." he grimaced slightly. "But I want to be very clear, I still have the use of my penis."

Tina looked at him with a strange expression on her face, and wheeled away quickly. She laughed to herself the whole time, loving the innocent statement of her best friend, and him realizing a second later what he had actually just said.

A second later, what he had just said registered to Artie. _Oh, crap_, he thought,_ as much as Tee was his best friend, and hopefully something more, what on _earth_ possessed me to just say that?_ He quickly wheeled after her, and caught up with her just at the entrance to the auditorium.

"Um, Tee, just forget what I said ok? A little space alien just took over my mind and-"

Tina laughed and held up her hand, noticing how red Artie was. If he was any redder, he might explode. "I don't remember anything you just said about something. Don't worry," she smiled at him still laughing.

"Good," his blush was still bright red, but slowly receding from his neck. "Um, Tee, I was ?"

"Sorry, you're going to have say that a _bit_ slower Artie," she laughed at his expression again.

He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at her blushing, "I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me this afternoon?" he said softly.

"I'd love too," she said softly back.

* * *

Artie knew looking back that if he hadn't have asked Tina out then, there might not have been another opportunity as great as that. There would have probably been other opportunities yes, but as memorable as that? Most likely not.

He was eternally thankful that he had finally mustered up the courage to ask her out on a date. She was his other half, and as they continued through so many challenges together, he knew that he couldn't have done it without her. She was his soul mate, and he knew even at 16 that she was someone extremely important in his life. He knew that he didn't need her in his life because he didn't want to live without her, he knew that he needed her in his because he _couldn't_ live without her.

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Well, bit more angsty/fluffy than before, but hope you guys liked it! Love, Swimnsail.


	5. Forgiveness

**Author's note:** Wow, thank you guys so much for all the response! Here's another chapter for your reading pleasure, as always, I LOVE reading your opinions!

**Disclaimer:** As much as I may wish, Glee is NOT mine.

* * *

The next decision Artie made was probably one of the most important choices he made, and that was the choice of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a funny thing, most of us crave it, and yet it doesn't cost anything monetarily. Most things in the world now that are wanted are, and yet this is one of the most powerful things, and it doesn't cost a thing. During his first date with Tina, she had confessed that she didn't have a stutter. This was absolutely shocking to him, as he had known her for so long, and thought he knew everything about her. But when it came down to something that was present in every single conversation they'd had, it wasn't real.

* * *

"I don't have a stutter. I had to give a speech in the 6th grade, and I was too scared to do it, so I faked a stutter so people wouldn't talk to me," Tina said shyly. "But you understand don't you?"

"No, I don't. I don't have to push people away, the chair does that for me." he said sadly, looking at his best friend and girlfriend with sad eyes. He couldn't handle what he was feeling and quickly wheeled away from her.

How he got home he didn't know. The conversation that he'd just had with Tina was running on constant repeat in his mind. The girl he had grown to love wasn't the same girl at all. He finally reached his house and wheeled straight to his bedroom. Thankfully his parents weren't home yet, and he was able to avoid any awkward questions. He manoeuvred out of his wheelchair, collapsing on to his bed with his hands behind his head, and staring up at the ceiling.

He stayed that way for a good few hours, thinking about what had just happened. He kept running the dialogue over and over, and visualizing Tina's face when she had kissed him, and then when she had told him about her fake stutter.

Just then, the front door slammed and he knew his parents where home.

"Artie?" his Mum called.

"In here Mum," he responded. He knew that she would come in to his room, because she was forever worrying about him, and didn't like him having to wheel around the house, so there was no point going to greet her.

"How was the date?" she said coyly with an eyebrow raised. Artie had called her from school during the lunch break, letting her know he wouldn't be home right after school, and she'd managed to wheedle out the reason he would be late home.

"Um, I don't really want to talk about it Mum, if that's ok." he stayed on his back, looking at the ceiling, and avoiding looking at his Mother.

"Was it that good?" she laughed lightly.

Something in Artie snapped at this point, and the overwhelming feeling that he had just lost his best friend sank in. He sat up and looked at his Mum, "No, actually it _wasn't_. I found out that Tina's been lying to me this entire time. She doesn't _have_ a stutter, and she faked it in the 6th grade so she didn't have to give a speech!"

His Mum was shocked into silence.

"Yeah, not really what I was expecting either too." he laughed humorously and lay back down.

"Artie, we raised you to tell the truth no matter what, no matter who's feelings were hurt, because it was always better in the long run. We all make mistakes when we're young, and we make them when we're old," she said gently. "We're human, it's something that's genetically engineered with us, none of us are perfect. Tina may have lied to you all this time, but she was 12 years old when she started that lie. She couldn't stop the lie when she'd started it, but now she's trying to correct it. Granted, it would have been better if it hadn't started, but it did. It doesn't matter so much the mistakes you make in the past, it's what you do to fix it. She obviously trusts you enough to tell you what's most likely her biggest secret, and what did you do when you found out?"

Artie sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, knowing his Mum wouldn't like the answer, "I left her. I couldn't handle that she'd been lying all this time, and I knew it was wrong to just leave when she told me, but I...I just couldn't handle it."

"And now?" she said gently.

"I have to talk to her." he said simply.

"Well what are you waiting for?" his Mum stood up and left the room.

Artie hauled himself up out of his bed, and on to his wheelchair. He wheeled over to his computer and noticed Tina wasn't online on msn. He picked up the phone and called her house.

"Hello?" Mrs. Chang picked up the phone.

"Hi, this is Artie Abrams, I was just wondering if I could talk to Tina?"

"Oh, hi Artie, no I'm sorry, she isn't home right now. She actually came home from school pretty upset, and two of her friends came over and took her out with them." she paused, "Do you know why she's upset?"

Artie paused, "I think that may be my fault Mrs. Chang, we had a bit of an argument this afternoon."

"Well, I guess it must be something big, because I know Tina thinks the world of you," she paused again.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Chang, that's actually why I'm calling because I need to talk to her. Do you know who she went out with?"

"Yes, Mercedes and Kurt. Nice people. Go and fix this Artie, I know you'll put it right."

"Will do Mrs. Chang, thanks again," Artie hung up the phone and made a mental note to give Mrs. Chang some cookies next time he saw her.

He then called Kurt.

"Kurt Hammel residence, of what assistance can I be of service?"

"Hey Kurt, this is Artie," he paused. "Um, is Tina there?"

"Why, yes, she is Arthur." Kurt responded prissily.

Artie sighed, knowing Kurt was mad with him. "Look Kurt, I know I screwed up, but I need to talk to her, can I come over?"

Kurt sighed, "The things I do for you people, fine, but I'm not telling her you're coming, you can just surprise her and leave me out of this!" and hung up the phone.

Artie wheeled himself into the living room, "Hey Mum, do you mind if I go out?" He noticed she already had the keys to his car in her hand.

She handed them to him with a smile, "Good luck," she kissed him on the cheek and waved him off.

The drive to Kurt's house was agonizing. Artie kept thinking about what he would say to Tina when he talked to her. He finally reached the house, turned off the engine, manoeuvred himself into his chair, wheeled up to the front entrance, and knocked on the door.

Kurt opened it, "Arthur, _what_ a surprise, _what_ are you doing here?" he said exaggeratedly.

Arthur laughed internally, knowing Kurt didn't want Tina to be mad at him. "Kurt, I'm wondering if Tina is here? I called her Mum, and she said she'd gone out with a couple of friends."

"Actually, she is, I'll grab Mercedes and we'll let you two talk in peace." Kurt led Artie into his basement, which was also his bedroom. He grabbed Mercedes arm, gave Tina a wink, and left her and Artie by themselves.

"Hey Tee," Artie said softly. She didn't look up at him, and Artie wheeled closer to her, sitting right in front of her. "Look, I know you're upset, and I completely understand why. I was a jerk for just leaving you, and I'm really sorry. I just couldn't handle it when you told me the truth. All along, I thought we had something really important in common. You with your stutter, and me and the chair. When it turned out we didn't, I began panicking why you'd even be hanging out with me. I know it was stupid, and even though we don't have that in common, I know we have more important things in common."

Tina lifted up her head at this point, and Artie continued. "I know we both love an amazing guitar riff, I know we both love cookies, the chocolate chip kind, not the chocolate and white chocolate chip kind. I know we both love a good science fiction novel, but not the end of the world ones. I know that we both suck at Spanish – Tina laughed at this – but we're both amazing at music. I know that you faked your stutter to protect yourself, and it hurt me that you'd lied, but I know that it's not that important to lose you over. You're you with, or without you stutter, it's not something that's ever defined you, and not something that you won't be you without. I also know that you're my best friend, and the only person aside from my family who's ever seen me beyond the chair, and I know you're someone I don't want to lose." He looked earnestly at her, hoping for a response.

"Artie, I'm so sorry I lied. I know it was stupid, I was just afraid that I would lose you when the truth came out. But when you asked me out, I didn't want to start something that important with you, and still keep lying to you. You're my best friend, and hopefully boyfriend, and I want to start that without any lies between us." she said, gazing into his familiar blue eyes.

"Tee, I love you no matter what, best friend, romantically, whatever. You're you, and that's all that matters." He held his arms out to her, and she sank forward into his lap, arms around his back, and holding on for dear life.

"I love you too Artie." she whispered back.

* * *

Artie knew that this was one of the most important days of his life. Not because Tina had stopped lying about her stutter, but because they had finally admitted to one other how much they cared about the other. If Artie had chosen to let that small lie come between him and Tina, he knew that his life would not have been the same, and definitely worse. He never stopped being thankful for the advice his Mother gave him, and never forgot how important forgiving a person could be.

* * *

Well, steadily getting a bit more angsty each chapter, and also a little bit fluffier. How are we liking that? One more in High School decision, and then on to post! If there is any particular event you guys would like a decision for, let me know ! I have 10 planned, but am definitely willing to add more! Remember, reviews = love.


	6. Traditions

**Author's note:** Well, I have to say that the Glee fandom is AMAZING. You guys are so supportive, and that keeps encouraging me to write! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Love, Swimnsail

**Disclaimer**: Unfortunately, Glee does NOT belong to me.

* * *

The next choice Artie made was not really a big one in the large scheme of things, but it was definitely important for a reason. As everyone knows, there are important rites of passage going through High School: Grade 9 and being the frightened kid in a school full of louder, more mature students; that awkward transition in 'finding' yourself; homecoming dances; carnivals; end of school; prom; graduation and others.

Artie never really worried about supposed 'rites of passage' since he simply didn't think they were really a big deal. He was in a wheelchair, a) it made things like that kind of difficult, since he got picked on no matter what, and he couldn't really go where there were no roads, and had difficult getting around. B) He accepted he was different from other people, and that didn't mean he was better than them, simply different, and would go through different rites of passage. Like, the first time he had managed to get into his house without ricocheting of the doorframe (that had happened a _lot_ initially, thankfully not so much anymore, because it was quite painful!), the first time he had managed to successfully get himself back in his wheelchair by himself after getting out of it, and many more.

Prom was one of the biggest rites of passage in High School, and Artie didn't really see why. Sure it was an excuse to get dressed up nicely, go somewhere outside of school with everyone _from_ school, eat somewhat fancy food, go dancing, and then some, lets say 'outside-school-activities' after prom was over. It really didn't hold much appeal to Artie, aside from the fact that his friends would be there.

During Glee practice, everyone was being persuaded into going to Prom. Mercedes and Kurt had declared themselves the unofficial-official-glee-club-prom-committee, and they were determined to get everyone else to go. Rachel had succumbed to them next, shortly followed by Finn, Puck, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Mike, and Matt. Tina and Artie were the ones holding out, and Artie was determined to stay that way. He couldn't go to a lot of fancier places since their accommodations didn't really allow for his wheelchair. In addition to that, he couldn't dance, and that was one of the main things for prom. It wasn't that he would be embarrassed not to be dancing and sitting on the sidelines, but he knew his friends would sit with him, and he didn't want to ruin it for _them._

The next day, Artie came into Glee as usual, to see Tina surrounded by Mercedes and Kurt who were squealing and jumping up and down, hugging her. Tina's face was priceless, with an _oh-gosh-please-help-me_ scared look on her face, and Artie couldn't help but laugh. _Big_ mistake.

As soon as they heard him, they whipped around. "Well, Artie, guess who's agreed to go to Prom?" Kurt said smugly. "Your girlfriend!"

Oh, did he forget to mention him and Tina were boyfriend and girlfriend? Something he still couldn't get over. After the incident with her stutter, they had gone on a second date, and then a third, and were happier than they had ever been together.

Tina looked at him pleadingly, "I didn't have a choice, you _know_ how persuasive they are!"

"Well of course you didn't girl, do you honestly think we would let you skip out of your prom?" Mercedes laughed at the thought.

Artie shook his head laughing, he had figured that Tina would be the next person to fall, but at the same time a twinge of disappointment echoed in his chest. He had hoped that on Prom night they could do something together, but he knew that it was unfair of him to take that night away from Tina. "Don't worry Tee, you're not the first person to have succumbed to them, and I doubt you'll be the last," he ended with a wink.

"Of course not, Arthur," Kurt said huffily, "And don't think you're not going to come either!"

Thankfully Mr. Schuester walked in at this point, and everyone else had arrived by now, and were pretending not to be eavesdropping on their conversation, something hard to do when Kurt and Mercedes had such loud voices!

"Hey guys," Mr. Schue began, "As you all know, Prom is coming up, and since I know you guys are so eager to go, don't worry about coming to the rehearsal on that Friday, we'll make it up another point. I was thinking about the following Monday either having a double session in class, or you guys could always meet up outside. Let me know what works!"

They began Glee as usual, practicing some old songs, and some newer ones, debating which ones to include for Regionals. They didn't get a chance to talk the whole way through, which Artie was thankful for, because he knew that if Kurt and Mercedes started trying to get him to go to prom, he would likely succumb as well.

"Great work today guys!" Mr. Schue clapped his hands, "Remember to let me know what you guys want to do to make up for the missed practice, and we'll figure out something!"

The group trickled out, and Tina waited for Artie.

"Artie, I am _so_ sorry. You know how Kurt and Mercedes get. I couldn't say no to them!" she said fretfully.

Artie looked up at her and laughed, "Don't worry Tee, there's no point you not going, and I'm sure you'll have a blast."

Tina frowned, "You're not coming with me?"

"Tee, it's not that I don't want to come. It's just that I know that I _can't _really come. I can't dance, which is kind of a major theme of prom, and I probably even won't be able to get through the door! You've seen at the restaurants we've been too, and I can hardly manoeuvre to get in there." he frowned, wishing just for once, that he could do something so normal as to take his girlfriend to the prom.

"Artie, that isn't really what this is about, is it?" Tina questioned quietly.

Artie sighed, he loved Tina more than he loved anyone else, but sometimes, he wished she didn't know him so well. "No. I don't want people feeling sorry for me because I can't do the normal things that other people can. My prom pictures would be of you standing, or leaning over, and me in a wheelchair. I'd be banging into tables the entire night because it's so squished. I can't dance, and I'm _not_ embarrassed to be sitting on the side, but I know you guys will come and sit with me, and I don't want to ruin _your_ night," he finished earnestly.

"Artie, you know me. I don't dance. I bump into things everyday of my life, because I'm a clumsy person, and nothing will ever change that. I sit on the sidelines at times, and yeah, people come and sit with me, because they're our friends. They don't sit with us because they _have_ too, they sit with us because they _want_ too. You know what would ruin our night? If you didn't show up. You're their best friend, we're all best friends, and you're my boyfriend, we want you there."

"I'll think about it Tee," Artie promised.

* * *

That night Artie got a mass text from Kurt: _Dear Glee Club Members, We have a matter of importance to discuss tomorrow, please show up 10 minutes early, and you will hear this dilemma. Kurt and Mercedes xoxox_

Artie laughed, leave it up to them to leave everybody pondering in mystery for what was likely a, "What song should I sing a solo in for the talent show?" Part of the reason they all fit together so well, they all complemented each others quirks. Artie sent a quick text to Tina:_ So what do you think that's all about? Love you._

His phone buzzed a minute later, _**Not sure, but it sounds interesting! Did you finish that assignment yet for Spanish? Love you too 3**_

_Almost! How's yours?_

_**Finished! Do you need help with yours?**_

Artie smiled, he knew everything (mostly) Science and Math-wise, and Tina knew everything (mostly) about English, and Arts. Another reason they complemented each other perfectly, and could help each other when they had problems.

_No, but thanks anyway Tee. What would really help me is if you went to sleep. It's midnight, and you need to sleeeeeeeep. Love you, night!_

_**Haha, fine. See you tomorrow! Love you, sweet dreams 3**_

Artie smiled and finished trying to write his Spanish composition. He was still thinking about this whole Prom dilemma, and wondering what on earth Kurt and Mercedes needed to discuss with everyone tomorrow.

* * *

"Thank you all for coming to this meeting of utmost importance." Kurt stood in front of everyone and had his hands clasped behind his back. "As you all know, Prom is rapidly approaching , and we're trying to get everyone to go."

Artie groaned quietly and sunk down in his chair.

"Now, it has come to our attention" – he gestured to Mercedes – "that someone does not want to go, and respecting that decision, we have decided that we are _not_ going to go to Prom either, but are instead hosting our _own_ Prom, hosted at my house. You are all invited, and I look forward to seeing you all there. Any questions?"

"Yup," Tina raised her hand, "Not a question, but I'm definitely coming."

Quinn raised her hand too, "Me too."

Everyone's hands shot up, "We'll come too."

Artie groaned, "Guys, look, I appreciate the fact you're all not going to go to Prom for me, so I won't be left out, but I don't mind. It's not fair that you guys miss out on this, and honestly, I'm not really bothered about it all anyways."

Finn turned to him, "But we _do. _This is one of those events to celebrate leaving this place behind, and I know I speak for all of us when I say we want to celebrate it with our closest friends, and that includes you, Artie."

Rachel piped in, "We want to celebrate Glee-style, and that means every one is included."

Tina smiled at him gently, "We all want to celebrate together Artie, it doesn't matter where we are to do that."

Artie was stunned beyond words. He knew that the Glee club had accepted everyone regardless of who they were, or what they had done. But to skip out on their Prom for him? That meant a lot more to him than he could ever say.

"Guys, as much as I appreciate that offer, it isn't necessary." Voices began protesting and Artie shook his head, "I'll go to Prom."

Everyone cheered and began clapping.

"Wow guys, I know it was a pretty good entrance, but I didn't think it was _that_ good," Mr. Schuester looked shocked and pleased. He had been trying out different ways to enter the room all week and thought they were all applauding for him. The group burst into hysterical laughter.

* * *

Prom night was one of the best nights of Artie's high school experience. Tina came over to his house and they took pictures on the front lawn. They sat together in the swing just outside his house, and his parents took _way _too many pictures. After about an hour, Artie drove them in his specialized car to the restaurant, and Tina grabbed his chair and they went in side by side.

Kurt and Mercedes grabbed them immediately, complimenting them on how they looked ("Damn girl, you look fine!" from Mercedes, and "Artie, that suit is _divine_ on you" from Kurt). They dragged them over to the group picture of the Glee club, and instead of being a serious picture, Kurt winked at the camera-man when taking the picture, and they all started laughing at his face. Their picture was voted the best in the yearbook, and whenever any of the group looked back on that picture, they would remember that fantastic night.

Artie did bang into a few tables, but so did Tina, and everyone else. He didn't dance to all of the songs, but when he did, he realized that even though he didn't dance like everyone else, he didn't need too. They accepted him for who he was, and what he could do, and that's all that counted. When it came time for a slow song, Tina looked at Artie and asked him if he wanted to sit down. He shook his head, and patted his lap. She looked at him bemused, but sat down on his lap, placed her arms around his neck, and he put one arm around her back. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, and he slowly rotated them around in one circle.

* * *

All in all, it was one of the best nights of his High School life. It ranked up among his top 10, not because it was Prom, but because of the lessons he learned. He learned that even though he still had doubts about his paraplegia, his true friends didn't. He learned that it didn't matter where you were, it was who you were with that made an event truly special. And most of all what he learned was the amount that his friends truly cared for him, and what a blessed person he was, paralyzed or not. It didn't matter what you could do, it mattered who you were.

* * *

Still upping the angst factor, sorry about that, but do we like it? One more High School decision, which is really post, but lets see how you guys like it! Remember, reviews = love.


	7. Education

**Author's Note:** Well hey guys! I'm pretty sure this will be the last update prior to Christmas, but I hope to return soon! This may be a bit different for some of you, and may be a bit wrong. Where I'm from, you finish High School and go to University, or College, or somewhere else. Also, sorry if some of the information about the Universities are incorrect, I just did that so it works with the story! Please understand if it's different for you! As always, happy reading, and I love to read your comments! Happy holidays !

**Disclaimer:** Glee is NOT mine sadly.

* * *

One of the most important High School decisions Artie made was not actually related to him being in High School per se. It was more of where he was going to go _after_ High School. When he was younger, Artie had decided that he wanted to get a degree in Astronomy, and then continue to get his Ph. D, and continue researching in the field. When he had officially decided what he wanted to do, he had picked his dream university, the University of Phoenix.

He had visited the University numerous times with his family, looking at the buildings and thinking that in the next couple of years, he could be one of those students running around and looking harried. He loved the name, the Phoenix was a mythical creature, and he felt a connection with it on some level. He loved the colors of the university: maroon and gold. He couldn't particularly pull of either, but it was better than yellow of some universities, there was absolutely no way in his wildest dream he could pull of that.

The major issue with this University though, was that it was in California. Not that the location was the problem particularly, because who wouldn't like the sun? But the fact was, he lived in Lima, Ohio. He had lived there his entire life, and his family was there. His family was tightly-knit, made even more so with his accident, and he knew that he would be moving out sooner or later, but he just wished that maybe he could move somewhere in the same state so that he wouldn't be that far away.

* * *

The entire Glee club looked around morosely at each other. They knew it was coming close to the end of their time together with only a couple months left of school. They knew that they would see each other again, they were part of each other's 'family' now, and you didn't just leave family behind, except if they were that really mean family member who kept picking on you, and then maybe you only saw them once every other year.

"So have you guys picked where you're going yet after Grad?" Finn suddenly spoke up.

"Yes, Mercedes and I have had the dream of attending the Art Institute of Ohio in Cincinnati for fashion for at least 10 years." Kurt gently pushed a piece of hair out of his eyes and combed it back. "I feel the world needs my fashion style, god knows what the next fashion could be without me." he shuddered.

"Me and Brittany think we're going to go to the Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology," Santana said. The group murmured their approval, they had seen the photos that the girls had taken during their competitions and they were amazing.

The rest of the group said where they were thinking of going, and with each different university name, the group grew a little more sad as the geographic distance of their choice became apparent.

"I think I'm going to go to the University of Phoenix," Artie said, "I've wanted to go there since I was about 8."

"I think I'm going to go to the University of Toledo," Tina admitted.

She and Artie had talked about their University choice for awhile. The U of T was her best choice for getting her Teacher's Degree. It was a pretty prestigious university, and was close to home which was a bonus. They had also discussed Artie's choice of the U of P in detail as well, noting the separation that they would have. It had been a conversation that they didn't discuss much over the past couple of months, because they each had a lot of respect for each other.

Tina knew that it was Artie's dream choice of University. As much as she tried not to think about it, she knew that quite a few dreams had been taken away when the crash had happened, and she would not be the cause of taking another dream away from him, no matter how much it hurt her to not be close to him. The U of P did not have a teacher's program, and the U of T was the next nearest university which had that program.

They had talked about the future extensively, and knew that even though it would be hard having a long-distance relationship, it was worth it. They were still deeply in love with each other, and knew that they were more in love now, than they had been when they had first started dating. They knew that distance wouldn't change that, but it could be hard for both of them.

* * *

The next 2 months passed in a bit of a blur. There were so many things going on that it seemed as though life was in high gear, with no brakes. Prom had happened in March, and Artie had learned how much his friends cared for him. He had enjoyed one of those "High School Rites of Passage," and that night would be forever engrained in his memory.

"New Directions" finished first again at Regionals, and it was one of the best moments of Artie's High School career. They had won the trophy before, but that was amidst all the turmoil of baby-gate and all that associated drama. They had come so far as a group since then that it was made even more special when they all won as a group together.

There were a whole bunch of other small events, like when the Glee club had gone to a water park and they had floated down the lazy river together, just laughing at Artie's expression when he kept bumping of the walls. They had gone to restaurants in Cincinnati were Regionals took place after they won, and they had given an impromptu performance when the judges had recognized them and asked for an encore.

All in all, it would be tough to leave, but life is as life does, and it's forever full of change, and no matter what you do, you can't change it. You either had to accept it and adapt to it, or get stuck in sadness that you couldn't hold on to something.

Artie knew that his time with Tina was coming closer and closer to a close. When they went to University they wouldn't be able to see each other as often, and it would be tough for both of them. When they had problems, no matter how big or small, they knew they could always depend on each other. When they had something to celebrate, no matter how big or small, they shared it with each other. Even if their days were bland, and filled with nothing, they still discussed them with each other, and there would be no way this could keep happening when they went to University. He was still torn in two, wanting to go to his dream University, and wanting to stay with Tina.

He knew her like he knew the palm of his hand, and knew the reason she didn't talk to him about University was because she didn't want him switching Universities for her. She thought that he had too many dreams taken away from him, and didn't want to be the cause of another. He didn't tell Tina, because he knew that she didn't want him switching a dream for her, but he had asked Miss. Pillsbury to keep an eye on something for him for University, hoping that it would finally happen.

* * *

There was only one month left of school, and Artie was getting a bit nervous. He was sitting in his first period Astronomy class, and they were debating theories on black holes.

"Um, excuse me Sir," a voice piped up. Artie looked up and saw a scared ninth grader outside the door, "I have a message for Arthur Abrams from Miss Pillsbury."

The teacher took the note from the student, read it, and told Artie to go see her. Artie grabbed his stuff as quickly as he could, hoping that this was what he had been waiting for for all this time. He got to the guidance office in the quickest time he had ever made, and noticed Miss Pillsbury already waiting for him.

"Wow, Artie, that was quick!" she exclaimed. "Good news! They've done it!"

Artie sagged back in his chair and sighed in relief. Finally, after all the planning and conversations that had occurred, it had happened. His smile was wide and it felt like a great weight had been taken off his chest. "So we're all good? I'm registered for the right one?"

"Yes, you just have to submit your final acceptance, choose your classes and you're good to go!" she smiled at him, knowing how hard he had been working for this.

"Thanks so much Miss. Pillsbury, thanks for all your help." he smiled goofily at her, and wheeled out of the room. The wait to lunch felt like days, and he was counting down the minutes till he could see Tina.

* * *

He finally saw her after he had finished his final morning class.

"Artie, where were you this morning? I came to your Astronomy class, and you weren't there?" she mock-frowned at him.

"I've got something to tell you," he looked up at her, his happiness radiating off him. "Do you want to come with me to the Glee room?"

"Sure," she said frowning at him for real this time, wondering what he was up to.

They made it to the Glee room with relatively little trouble. The jocks that had bullied them relentlessly had backed off finally a little more, with everyone realized that their High School days were numbered.

Artie guided Tina over to a chair and gestured for her to sit down.

"Artie, was it? You're kind of worrying me," she laughed nervously.

He stared down at his hands, and then back at her. "Remember when we had those 3 choices for university?"

She nodded. "Well, did I tell you my three choices?"

"Yep, U of P, Strayer, and Akron."

"Well, I may have _slightly_ lied about one of those. I didn't actually apply to Akron, I applied to U of T." He pressed on quickly, noticing her expression, "I got accepted, and I know that they didn't have an astronomy program when I applied, but I talked with Miss. Pillsbury at the beginning of the year, and she said they were supposed to be getting one for next year. So, if I applied in a general science program, and got accepted, I could switch to the astronomy program next year."

Tina started protesting, "Artie, we've been over this, I don't want you changing your dream university for me. It'll be tough going to different universities, but we'll manage."

Artie shook his head, "But Tee, I don't _want_ to manage without you. I want to be with you through the different stuff that's going to happen."

Tina shook her head, "Artie, I'm _not_ going to let you give up your dream university for me."

Artie smiled, "I'm not giving up my dream university for you Tee, I'm giving it up for us. Sure, it was once my dream university, but you're my dream girl. Your more important than any university could ever be."

Tina shook her head and laughed as Artie pulled her into his arms, and gave her one of the sweetest kisses they had ever shared.

Artie shared the news with the rest of the Glee club later, and they all burst out laughing. It turns out that Puck had known a little bit about Artie was doing, and he had shared it with Finn, who shared it with Quinn, who shared it with Brittany, who shared it with everybody. The club had placed bets on when Artie would switch universities, not betting if, but when. Kurt looked up from a list, "And, Brittany won!"

* * *

It turns out that the U of T was even better than Artie could have ever thought. He was attending a University whose astronomy program quickly became famous in the country, and he got to see Tina everyday. It was still tough, because of the schedule and the amount of work expected off them, but they still got to see each other at least every other day, something they couldn't have done if Artie had gone to the U of P. He learned that giving up a dream for something better wasn't so much of a sacrifice, and when that dream is worth it, is so much better.

* * *

Bit more fluffy for you guys! Hope you like it, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!


	8. Proposal

**Author's note:** Thank you SO much to everyone who's read and reviewed so far! Your reviews are much appreciated, and make my day ! I hope everyone had a happy holiday and happy early new year! There will only be two chapters left of this story, but if you want me to write an event, please let me know. Also, babygate did not happen (sorry) for the purpose of this story! As always, comments are always appreciated, and you guys are AMAZING!

**Disclaimer:** I asked for it over the holidays, but nope, sadly, Glee is _still_ not mine.

* * *

The next choice Artie made was probably the toughest decision he ever had to make, and that was about his relationship with Tina. Artie and Tina had finished their second year at the University of Toledo, and still going strong. They met each other at least once every day, not necessarily doing something special and going out somewhere, but just being together, which was more special than anything in Artie's opinion. They would just sit for hours doing their work and depending on who's room they were in (they were in the same dorm, but different floors), the room owner would cook. Artie would try to persuade Tina to let him come over more because he couldn't cook anything.

Artie knew that what he had with Tina was beyond amazing. They could be doing the most mundane activity, but when they did it together, it became the most fun thing in the world. She was his best friend and girlfriend, and he knew that he was the luckiest man alive to have someone like her in his life.

That also posed a problem for him though, because she deserved someone like her to have in her life. He did his best and tried his hardest, and although he knew that she loved him deeply, he couldn't help but feel that she deserved better. She deserved someone who could do all the things that he couldn't. Like be able to go to fancy restaurants, which he couldn't, because there really was no room for his chair. Like being able to take her dancing, and being able to dip her like a regular guy could. Seemingly inconsequential stuff, but as Artie thought about this more and more, the self-doubt that he was good enough for Tina increased.

* * *

The last couple of weeks had been hectic, trying to get all the packing done to move out of the dorms in time, and move back home. Add that to all the last minute assignments and exams, meant some serious stress levels. They had finally finished it though, and taking a last look around their rooms for the year, they left the building with Tina pushing Artie, got in his car, and left for home.

Before the Glee club had graduated from High School, they had made a promise that no matter what they were doing, or where they were, they would meet up at least 6 times a year in person as a group. They all emailed and called each other at least twice every week, but they also wanted to see each other in person. Not that this was really hard because they were all intricate parts of each other, and bonds like those couldn't be broken. They would sometimes have small groups meeting, like a Girls Night or Boys Night, but they would always meet for those 6 meetings. They arranged that since everyone finished school around the same time, they would meet on May 5th for their first reunion, and they would have a Girls Night/Boys Night then, and then a big group meeting on the 6th.

* * *

_May 5th – Girl's Night_

The girls met up at the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream parlour at 6:00pm. They had all dropped off their stuff at Rachel's house the night previously where they were going back to have a sleepover, but first they needed to stock up on ice cream supplies. They finished choosing the perfect ice-cream about 30 minutes later with much confusion, because it was all _so_ delicious, and giggling ran their way back to Rachel's house.

They were all sat around the living room in their pyjamas doing old renditions of the songs in Glee, incorporating crazy dance moves, and while eating ice-cream. It was a bit crazy, but at the same time hysterically funny. After about an hour they put on "Hairspray" and were belting out all the tunes. When that finished, they put on "Just Friends," and were all in tears by the end of it from laughing too hard. They finally finished that movie and Mercedes clicked the TV off.

"So, girls, I think we need to chat," she exclaimed, "We need gossip and we need it now!"

The girls burst out laughing, Mercedes big personality and penchant for gossip hadn't changed since High School.

"Well," Brittany started hesitantly, "I met a guy at school who takes care of ducks, and he's started to teach me all the different names. He's _really cute_." She paused again, "He still hasn't shown me a ballad though, I wonder if he has one.." she trailed off and the girls nodded their heads trying not to laugh. They loved Brittany, but were so glad that she had Santana with her.

"Well, Puck finally asked me to be his girlfriend," Rachel stated, "It's only took him 3 years of dating to call me that." Puck was notoriously known for his commitment issues, but they knew that he loved Rachel deeply, and she was slowly teaching him to warm up to the idea.

"Matt actually asked me out on a date," Mercedes said smugly. It was no secret that during Glee she had a huge crush on him, but he never seemed to return her affection. That wasn't actually the problem, he was just really shy. But, they had ended up going to the same college and he had finally mustered up the courage to ask her on a date.

"Well, me and Finn are married as you all know, and I'm pregnant!" Quinn exclaimed happily.

"Oh my GOSH! CONGRATULATIONS!" the girls squealed hysterically and engulfing Quinn in a huge group hug.

They finally let her go, and Quinn spoke up again. "You guys are my rock, and me and Finn were talking, and we want you all to be God-mothers."

The girls looked around at each other again, and Quinn was getting slightly nervous.

"YES!!!!" they screamed, engulfing her in a hug again.

They finally settled down 20 minutes later after asking Quinn all about her pregnancy and potential names and all baby-related matters.

"So, San, Tee, what's up with you guys and your boys?" Rachel said with a wink.

"Well, Mike also finally asked me out on a date about 2 months ago, and we're going steady!" Santana squealed. She like Puck had had some commitment issues in High School, but with the steady patience and love of Mike Chang, she was beginning to think it wasn't such a big deal after all.

"Me and Artie just had our 3 year anniversary," Tina said with a small smile, "He made me dinner in his room, which was so romantic even though he is an _awful_ cook." The girls laughed at this, knowing Artie's lack of culinary skills. "But, he seems to be distracted lately, I don't know what's wrong, and whenever I ask he seems to snap out of his funk, but he's worrying me somewhat."

The girls quickly popped up with reassurances, "He's probably just busy with school!" (Rachel), "I bet he's searching for a ballad" (Brittany), "If he hurts you I'll hurt him!" (Mercedes).

Tina laughed, she loved her friends dearly.

~*~

_May 5__th__ – Boy's Night_

The boys were happily sat in Finn's living room playing Mario Kart. They would have competitions every time they got together, and Puck had won the last tournament, leaving him to be targeted by every single player this time. They had ordered 6 pizza's from the nearest restaurant and were just chilling out. The competition ended with Finn being the winner, leading to some shifty looks from everyone else, and he knew that he would definitely have to practice for next time. They started talking about school and what they were up to in their lives. Pretty soon, the conversation switched to their partners.

"So, Puck, Rachel made an honest man out of you yet?" Finn said with a wink.

"Nah, but I asked her to be my girlfriend about 3 weeks back." Puck smirked. He loved Rachel, but commitment still kind of freaked him out. She was working on him though, and he knew that it wouldn't be long before they moved to the next stage. He just couldn't resist her. "And how's Quinn doing? Still in a state of marital bliss?"

Finn grinned hugely, "She is, and she's pregnant!" This resulted in a bunch of quick bear-hugs, claps on the back, and high-fives. "We talked this over, and you guys mean the world to us," the group "awed" grinning at Finn who held his hands up, "Nah, you guys are. And, we want you guys to be the god-fathers."

There was a 5-second silence, and Puck held his glass up, "To our newest god-child!" The rest of the group echoed, looked at each other, and engaged in a huge group hug. But if you asked them about it, they would deny it.

They quickly got updates from Matt and Mike about Mercedes and Santana respectively, and heard the latest gossip from Kurt about his boyfriend who he had met through work. They had a 10 minute conversation about his clothing choice, meaning Kurt had a 10 minute rant on how he had managed to save his poor boyfriend from awful fashion choices.

"Wheels, how's Tee doing?" Mike called.

"Um, good." Artie said quietly. The rest of the group exchanged glances, Artie didn't really talk much about girls like the rest of them, but they had never known him this quiet about Tina before.

"Is everything ok between you and Tina?" Finn inquired gently.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Artie said quietly again.

"Arthur Abrams, WHAT IS WRONG BETWEEN YOU AND TINA?!" Kurt shouted.

Artie winced, when Kurt started shouting, it was time to start spilling. "Nothing's wrong. She's perfect. She's amazing, I love her to death."

The group exchanged glances, Artie still seemed upset. "So what's the problem then dude?" Puck asked.

"That's the problem. She's perfect, and I'm...not." Artie hung his head. He loved his Glee family, but he didn't really like bringing up conversations like this.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked, looking confused.

Artie took a deep breath, "She's perfect and amazing, and incredible. And she deserves someone like that in her life. Not me."

The guys looked at each other. They obviously realized that Artie was a paraplegic, but it didn't change how they saw him. He was one of their own, and they all brought their own different baggage to the table.

"Dude, Tina definitely deserves someone perfect in her life," Puck started gently, "And she has someone like that. She has you." The group looked in astonishment at Puck, that he was the one saying this was definitely unexpected. "No one is perfect, we're human, but she loves you. She's loved you since you guys first became friends, and she's stuck with you all this time. Hell, she stuck by you even with stuttergate (they just attached a "gate" to every issue, it made things simple), and I think she's had plenty of time to make up her mind if she _didn't_ want you."

Artie thought about what Puck said. What if he was right? He knew that he loved Tina with his whole being and they got each other like no one else could. He knew that she loved him as much as he loved her, and maybe, he could be perfect for her. He sat up straighter, she definitely had had enough time to leave him, and why hadn't she left him sooner if she didn't want him? The answer beeped in his head, _because she loved him._

"Guys, I need your help," Artie said to everyone.

* * *

_May 6__th__ – Group Glee Night_

As the group hadn't seen each other in such a long time (really 2 months) in person, there was the usual customary hugs and high-fives and stories swapped. They were at Quinn and Finn's house in the living room. After about 30 minutes, the guys secretly winked at each other, and silently left the room one at a time. Kurt was the last one left, and was gone with a quick, "Washroom!" and hand wave. The girls looked around curiously, noting not one guy in the room. They raised their eyebrows at each other, wondering what the guys were up to. And then all their phones vibrated. This was getting more and more curious, and they all received the same text from Mike, "Come outside."

"What on _earth_ are those boys up to?" Mercedes said loudly.

"Come on," Quinn said with a smile.

The girls trooped outside and were met with the boys all in their dress shirts and ties from sectionals. They were arranged in a pyramid fashion, with Artie at the front, Puck and Finn behind him, and Mike, Matt, and Kurt at the back. Artie quickly nodded his head at Quinn, and she pressed play on the remote no one noticed she was holding. The strains of, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Franki Valli filled the air, and Artie began to sing, looking deep into Tina's eyes.

_You're just too good to be true.__  
__Can't take my eyes off you.__  
__You'd be like Heaven to touch.__  
__I wanna hold you so much.__  
__At long last love has arrived__  
__And I thank God I'm alive.__  
__You're just too good to be true.__  
__Can't take my eyes off you.__  
_

Artie and Puck then swapped spots, with Puck coming forward, stared at Rachel and began singing

_Pardon the way that I stare.__  
__There's nothing else to compare.__  
__The sight of you leaves me weak.__  
__There are no words left to speak,__  
__But if you feel like I feel,__  
__Please let me know that it's real.__  
__You're just too good to be true.__  
__Can't take my eyes off you._

All the boys then joined in.

_I love you, baby,__  
__And if it's quite alright,__  
__I need you, baby,__  
__To warm a lonely night.__  
__I love you, baby.__  
__Trust in me when I say:__  
__Oh, pretty baby,__  
__Don't bring me down, I pray.__  
__Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay__  
__And let me love you, baby.__  
__Let me love you._

_You're just too good to be true.__  
__Can't take my eyes off you.__  
__You'd be like Heaven to touch.__  
__I wanna hold you so much.__  
__At long last love has arrived__  
__And I thank God I'm alive.__  
__You're just too good to be true.__  
__Can't take my eyes off you.__  
_

Artie finished off the last chorus, and to the applause and cheers of the girls.

_  
__I love you, baby,__  
__And if it's quite alright,__  
__I need you, baby,__  
__To warm a lonely night.__  
__I love you, baby.__  
__Trust in me when I say:__  
__Oh, pretty baby,__  
__Don't bring me down, I pray.__  
__Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay.._

He wheeled forward over to Tina, and said, "Tina, you're the girl I've always dreamed off, and you're my best friend and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know I'm not the man you deserve and I'm nowhere near perfect, but I want to try. I've loved you ever since I met you, and I want to grow old with you. Will you marry me?" he finished nervously and held out a box to Tina.

Her eyes shone with tears as she looked at him, "You're wrong. You're perfect for me, and you're _more_ than I deserve. And of _course I'll marry you!"_ she finished in a rushed and excited voice and jumped onto Artie's lap kissing him enthusiastically while everyone else applauded, laughed, and engulfed them in hugs.

~*~

The decision to propose to Tina was one of the hardest Artie had to make. He still didn't know of he was worthy of her, but he knew that he loved her with every fibre of his being, and he would do his best for her every single day of their lives.

Looking back on this decision even a month later, he knew that he had made the best choice of his life. Maybe he didn't exactly deserve Tina, but by God he would try to prove it. He knew that his life without her wouldn't be worth living, and he would love her and cherish her more than anyone else ever could.

* * *

Whew! That was a pretty tough one to write. Bit angsty at the beginning, and then pretty much pure fluff for you guys ! Hope you liked it, and as always, please let me know your thoughts !! Only 2 more left, and we're _done!_ *tear*


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